Bass-bar for violins



(No Model.\

J. H. TIBBITS. BASS BAR FOR VIOLINS, TENOR VIOLS, AND BASS VIOLS.

No. 476,907. Patented June 14. 1892.

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JONATHAN H. TIBBITS, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

BASS-BAR FOR VlOLlNS, TENOR-VIOLS, AND BASS-VIOLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,907, dated June 14, 1892..

Application filed December 11, 1891- Serial No. 4rl4i766- (N0 moilold To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JONATHAN H. TIBBITs, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Violins, Tenor-Viols, and Bass-Viols; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the violins, tenor-viols, and bass-viols, and aims to increase the volume and improve the clearness and quality of tone and harmony.

The prime object of theinvention is to dispense with the wooden bass-bar now used in the violin, tenor-Viol, and bass-Viol, thereby increasingthe cubic space in the chest of the violin and permitting more freedom of sound.

A still further object is to render a firmer support to the top of the instrument than is attained by the old Wooden bass bar.

The improvements consist in the novel feature of construction and in the peculiar arrangement and adaptation of parts, which will hereinafter be more fully described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the violin, showing the old style bass-bar Gr G. Fig.2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the violin through dotted line D D, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the body of the violin, the top removed.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letters B is a wooden post attached to the inner or under side of the top of the instrument NN at a point indicated at B, Fig. 3.

A A is a metal wire firmly attached to and through the top of the violin, running between N and O and made fast by a Washer on the wire and riveting, Fig. 2, extending to a slot in the lower or small end of bass-post I and thence to lever IV, to which it is made fast. The lever is held in position in a slot in the wooden block H with a metal pin F.

E is a screw passing through block H opposite the lower end of lever IV, to the upper end of which the metal Wire is attached, as shown in Fig. 2. The metal wire A A is adj usted by means of the screw E, acting on thelower end of levcr \V, the pin F forming a fulcrum. To increase the tension of the wire A A, turn the screw E to the right. To decrease the tension of wire A A, turn screw E to the left. Screw E is operated with a screw-driver on the outside of the violin at point E, Fig. 3.

My invention is simple in construction, effective in its operation, and its advantages are thoughtto be obvious.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In aviolin, awooden post attached to the inner side of the belly at a point directly under the bridge of the bass side and projecting downward and having a slot in its lower and exposed end to receive the wire brace, sub stantially as shown and described.

2. In a violin,a wire string in the chest attached to the belly at the neck and extending through the slot in the lower and exposed end of the post B to the top of the metal lever \V at the opposite end of the chest, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

3. In a violin, the wooden bass-post and support 15, the wire string A A, and the metal lever \V, held in position in the wooden block H by the pin F and operated by means of the screw E, substantially as described, and for the pur-- poses set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JONATHAN II. TIDBITS.

Witnesses:

THOS. C. SELLARS, W. S. JEWELL. 

